A look at BIM and the concrete industry

The Concrete Producer have posted a new article on their official website looking the impact of Building Information Modelling on the concrete industry.

The article looks at how the Charles Pankow Foundation, which provides the AEC industry with better ways to design and build developments, has funded thirteen separate projects with grants worth $2.2. The grants injected sophisticated BIM software and expertise into the projects, living up to the company’s vision of improving AEC work. Grants have been used for all kinds of industry segments including precast concrete, cast-in-place concrete and masonry and more.

The impact BIM will have on the concrete sector isn’t fully understood though, that’s according to article author Rick Yelton. He writes: “BIM’s real impact on the concrete industry has yet to be fully understood.

“With BIM, materials engineers may be more willing to adopt performance-based concrete mix designs, encouraging the increased use of nontraditional materials such as Portland limestone cement. Design engineers will be able to stretch the limits on elements, beams, and columns to allow concrete structures to yield the same amount of useable space as steel structures, with better insulating factors. And with BIM, modular construction techniques will allow contractors to create resilient concrete structures in remote areas.”

Yelton remains positive though and obviously with the successful work of The Charles Pankow Foundation in mind too, he states that anyone not adopting BIM is missing out. “As the economic conditions for our industry improve, managers will be asked to resurrect their strategic plans. To be a significant player in the next decade, you plans must consider how BIM will affect your customer’s business, and yours.”

Read more here and check out the latest edition of The Concrete Producer magazine, which features an article on The Charles Pankow Foundation.